About New York

Trees

2012-01-25T11:40:00.000-05:00

22nd Street was shut off so the trees could be trimmed.

an exciting piece of machinery (if you like machinery) and a chap up a tree

by the old Empire Diner, now called The Highliner. The food is better.

Another person up a tree

then, lo and behold, just west of 10th Avenue, Lego up a tree. This is an artsy neighborhood. Perhaps this was someone's art project.Seems a bit wasteful to leave it in the tree, but not for me to say.

The reflections of the bare branches are the best bit in this person's project. While I understand that people have strong feelings about things (we all either do or should) it would be horrid if everyone shouted them all at once. Waking up, thinking and rejecting fear have got me quite tuckered out already

so the cabbages (posing as cabbage roses) were a welcome respite in the tree pit by the corner of 9th Avenue. Pity about the chips wrapper but what can you do?

Rain at Dusk

2012-01-24T07:37:00.001-05:00

After the snow, the rain.

Five o'clock: dog, cell phone camera. $5 umbrella

Only a little bit of snow left (lower right).

Chelsea hotel in the background.

Another dog going for a walk too.

Sparkles...

and a pink sidewalk.

My Life as a Spy

2012-01-21T12:18:00.002-05:00

The snow is still coming down

so the Empire State Building appears rather dim.

I enjoy looking out of the window and wonder if

the green umbrella signifies anything...

or whether it is merely a green umbrella.

These two men almost certainly have nothing to do with one another

any more than this chap coming back from RiteAid ( I can tell from the bag)

has to do with the man in the knit cap....but you never know.

People and Not People

2012-01-19T15:04:00.002-05:00

One thing about living in the city is that you run

into a lot of people whether you like them or not.....

all fit and cheery in Old Navy

waiting to cross the road on 6th Avenue

repainting the white crossing lines (the thing the guy on

the right is holding is the street equivilant of a blow-dryer)....

walking past a truck on 23rd Street

and endlessly doing things to leaky windows.

So, after a bit, it all gets too much....

and one turns to inanimate objects like a door on 20th Street

a nice austere window on the same road

with the rusty urn by the rectory

or even the shadows falling on the Kissam House in Huntington, Long Island....

ps Am reading Anatole Broyard's 1993 Greenwich Village memoir Kafka was the Rage --such a vivid evocation of the post World War II art scene in New York. Highly recommended.

Downtown

2012-01-13T07:39:00.006-05:00

City Hall (seen below) is quite near the Social Security office at 26 Federal Plaza

where I spent a happy morning yesterday, and remembered waiting there in 1979 when I only had a green card and needed to get a permit to visit my mother in England. That was the memorable occasion upon which, when I asked if there was a bathroom was told, "Yes, but an alien took the key."

downtown has more fire escapes than round here

which makes for lots of stripes.

Then on to the jollity of Chinatown

where we anticipate the arrival of the very excellent dumplings

at Excellent Dumpling on Lafyette Street. Here fried vegetable dumplings. I also recommend the scallion pancakes. Lunch for two: $12.75.

The painters take a pause in painting the poster for Incredibly Loud and Incredibly Close overlooking Canal Street. Reminds me of the eyes of Doctor T. J Eckleberg in The Great Gatsby.

A Day of Trains

2012-01-08T14:33:00.002-05:00

Grand Central Station is grand indeed

much better than poor old Penn Station which has nothing to recommend it at all.

GrandCentral is all marble and people taking photos of it.

Then there are the grubby underneath bits where things actually get done.

We alight at Botanical Garden Station in bright sunlight and head for the Conservatory

where a landing strip sits near the jungly water

and lo and behold the Statue of Liberty is reflected in the pool.

and through it all wend the trains to the junior set's delight.

And after that, gosh, a meet and greet with Thomas the Tank Engine.

Pretty heady stuff!

Winter Wardrobe/New York Fashion

2012-01-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

As has so often been pointed out, New Yorkers, on the whole, shun colors.

See the chilly pigeons above near the West Side Highway

and the people waiting for the bus on 23rd Street.

However, there are always bold individualists -- at the dog park

near Macy's

and inside Macy's itself.

A Visit to the Florist

2012-01-03T16:55:00.001-05:00

A blast of bitter cold air sent us scurrying to the florist on the corner of 22nd Street

where pure white amyrillis beckon

not to mention the gerber daisies and the orchids.

We end up with a bouquet of while lilies and some utterly out of season delphiniums (which I doubt will last) but the color is so utterly seductive.

The poor florist's cat got her tail trodden on in the proceedings and

screamed blue murder but seems none the worse for wear.

Chelsea Morning

2012-01-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

One of the last mornings to look at the tree...

very soon the old ornaments will go back in the box.

On 22nd Street the monsters dancing on the wall

make me glad I wasn't out late celebrating last night.

Life pretty much back to normal on 23rd Street.

Happy New Year

2011-12-27T12:44:00.003-05:00

Time to
eat up all the candy
and leftovers
make soup
send out cards to everyone who got lost in the shuffle
remember old friends
dither
make plans
and
most importantly
NAP

ps this is this blogs 700th post
more nap needed.....

Last Minute

2011-12-23T15:46:00.003-05:00

The local diner has snowmen on the window

though we haven't had any snow since October.

The bagel shop has similar merry decorations.

I managed to find some real holly in Union Square this morning when I was up there this morning with Mari from Finland and her husband.

Then home where the decorating and gift wrapping commenced. The troll and the snowman live in boxes all year and get to escape at Christmas,

as do Sponge Bob and the terrifying bug whose head can be pulled away from his body.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The Delights of Shopping

2011-12-21T07:59:00.001-05:00

Old Navy on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn

was astoundingly bright.

My sister in law, visiting from England, loves shopping

in the US where there are much better bargains.

The guitar shop next to the Chelsea Hotel has instruments signed by important people.

Not a shop exactly but a festive window at the dry cleaners.

What a bizarre melange at the bric-a-brac shop on 9th Avenue!

All peace and love at the pet supplies shop.

Happy shopping.

Midwinter Birthday

2011-12-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 2nd Birthday, Henry

Subway Series

2011-12-17T14:43:00.001-05:00

Was heading down to Soho this morning.

and discovered that the subway seemed a very popular place to sleep.

The end of the line was about four stops on so I expect they woke up then.

In the photos the metal rails look like the intestines of a prehistoric fish ....sort of.

Anyway, we get to Spring Street

and emerge into the light

where I see a very jolly Christmas dress

(which I do not buy since I doubt I would look good in it)

and pretty jewels in another window. I buy rubber weather

boots and a bar of soap and some other things

which I will not mention since the recipients

have been known to read this blog.

A child sleeping in the subway

and another child in a jolly hat heading somewhere nice, I hope.

Greenery

2011-12-14T13:25:00.001-05:00

Fifth Avenue this morning in search of Christmas presents.

A bewildering choice of possibilities -- so I probably got the wrong thing.......

I went to look at the natural stuff in Union Square. Here a suitably skinny tree, which, to my mind, shows off the ornaments better. Others may disagree, and even want an artificial one. Luckily, I am not the Christmas decorations police.....

A wreath is an excellent thing. Round and satisfactory

pine cones are good too though it seems rather odd to buy them.

more greenery

red berries

and roses too

silver balls in a store

and a glimpse of the Met Life Building from Broadway.

Flowers at home left over from a party

and the faithful hound who has escaped from his own blog.

Even though Reya may disapprove I do love my Hipstermatic app.

Lots of Everything

2011-12-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

The Santas have arrived

on the bookshelf

and on 8th Avenue outside

the florist with the cat and the red berries.

In the 60's I spy an antiques shop with treasures within

and the window of Bloomingdales.

ps What splendid silver boots!

Uptown there are tasteful decorations with giant pinecones

and a house swathed and swagged

even the buildings are complex and stunning

and the diner jam-packed.

Magic Journeys and a Giveaway

2011-12-09T14:21:00.001-05:00

Huntington Railroad Station on Monday

A time of year to turn inward and let the imagination run wild. Think The Polar Express

and all the cool trains at the Botanical Gardens.

How bright the moon shone last night

and how enchanting the florist on 8th Avenue.

Closer to home we made the first cookies of the season.

Robert added the nose and Elly the two silver ball eyes. Hm.....

This is the magical estate in Essex in England where I grew up in an old gamekeeper's cottage. It is the setting of my story Jane in Winter which you can read free on line here, download from Nook or iTunes, or buy as an actual book from Amazon here. It's aimed at 9-12 year olds but anyone who grew up in the 1950's (or wishes they did) might enjoy it too

I'm giving away one signed copy of the book to the commenter whose name will be chosen at random on Sunday ---- so I can get the book to the winner before Christmas.

Happy reading!

ps Sunday afternoon.

Just done the drawing and Mr.Paparazzo from Hungary won the book.

I will send it as soon as I have his address.

A Red Letter Day

2011-12-06T17:03:00.002-05:00

It's the Feast of St Nicholas, so it seemed rather

a suitable day for Paz and I to go out scouting for Christmas decorations.....

How well they chose the color of this door!

A bright red wall with a photoshoot going on inside.

The guy with the ripped torso waved like mad at us.

Still a few stubborn leaves....

A tasteful simple wreath

one of my favorite windows

and sisters heading home from the florists to their convent on 20th Street.

Then, at lunch time, a first. A hawk on 24th Street seen from our window.

Paz is a great photographer of birds so Robert said he had arranged it specially for her.

If you haven't gone there already see Susanna Gordon's post about

a little town in Canada. My favorite post of the season.

'Tis the Season

2011-12-04T10:44:00.003-05:00

for people to dress up in all sorts of jolly costumes...

like this Santa-ette selling yoghurt drinks on Penn Station.....

and a young man selling cosmetics in Macy's....

where I met this rather alarming, if cheerful, elf.

Part of Macy's Christmas grotto. Gloriously, astoundingly overwhelmingly red.

This elf in Union Square was selling home made chutneys.

Such simplicity at the Union Square cafe where they get things so exactly right

like the pumpkin cheescake. Yum.

After exactly the right amount to eat

I discover, amidst the paper-whites and cyclamen, an austerely perfect Lenten Rose.

My friend Susanna Gordon's father-in-law IS Santa

see her wonderful post here

Festive

2011-12-01T14:06:00.003-05:00

For some reason Wednesday was extra bright.

They were painting the outside of U-Haul for the season......

had parked a silvery movie set wagon

these men( a symphony in silver in blue) were nodding to Hannukah maybe.

I'm not sure what the pink feather tree celebrates--- but it's Chelsea....

Anyway the afternoon turned cold and gray

so we set out for the Union Square craftsmarket

(under the direction of George Washington!)

where the winter greens set us up for the solstice

or just plain GREEN.

As a good American, I long to buy things.....especially things made locally.

Here super tee-shirts made in Brooklyn

and glamorous alpaca hats

but there were also the gypsy delights of India

and Paz from Spain's exquisite textile jewelry.

I like the postcard and philosophy of Hazel Village whose "animals live round a pond in the forest where they do industrious projects together and make each other presents."

I bought apples and pears.

High Line Again/Saturday

2011-11-27T16:29:00.000-05:00

We ascend in the great glass elevator ( a crack in the glass already)

to walk between the buildings with a large number

of other people even though we have set out early.

Such a lovely day for November!

They are cleaning the building which will house Avenues a new swanky school.

This pediment is such a splendid shade of green !

People who have lived in this part of town for ever and ever must get quite bored with people looking into their windows. This is not a real person, but a poster. He looks a little like Mr.Bean

Piet Oudolf does grass so very well.

Henry is not much interested in grass.

Looking down to the street below.

A last gasp of summer flowers

and a leaf catching the sun.

Front and Back

2011-11-25T12:15:00.000-05:00

After the excesses of Thanksgiving eating

something rather clear and clean.

They're washing the awning of the new restaurant in London Terrace on 23rd Street.

Behind 23rd Street --here backing on to 22nd --are gardens hidden away.

I think it must be bliss to own a garden in the city.

It's That Time of Year

2011-11-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

when the buildings emerge from behind the trees

whose last leaves cling on.....

Night falls in the late afternoon.

The leaves are falling quickly now

but it's quite impossible to capture them in mid-flight

however hard one tries.

The diner is all set for Thanksgiving.

Chelsea on $150 0r Less

2011-11-20T15:39:00.005-05:00

I'm often asked by English friends to be a sort of impromptu tour guide. What could one possibly do in New York without lashings of money?

Herewith some local suggestions.

1) Walk on the High Line --it really is a super way to see lots of New York sights without getting run over. And it's free!

You walk on an old railway line above the bustle of the street.

After that you will probably need a cup of tea...or coffee

2) so go to Bergamote on the corner of 9th Avenue and 20th street

and eat a wonderfully fattening cake.

After that......

you may need

3) a dose of culture:

(here the David Zwirner gallery on 19th Street and 10th Avenue)

4) something to amuse you

and then

5) lunch or dinner at The Tipsy Parson

my latest favorite spot.

Buster would like to follow Ms. Redjacket in but isn't allowed.

For all sorts of travel savings tips and vouchers go here

Waiting Room/shadowshot

2011-11-19T11:03:00.000-05:00

We had to wait almost an hour for the train.

Nothing for it but to hang out in Dunkin' Dounuts

by Syosset Railway station and take photos

in the November afternoon light.

For other shadowshots from all around the world go here